Advice to simplify your writing misses the point

The prescience of Orwell

I recently reread George Orwell's dystopian novel 1984 and rediscovered the invented language of Newspeak used by the country's inhabitants. It struck me that there are parallels to the current fetish for language simplification. In Orwell's novel, oversimplifying and limiting vocabulary was a means to prevent complex thinking and ensure alignment with the totalitarian government's doctrine. Now, I don't mean to suggest the message of the well-intended is some dark conspiracy, but won't the outcome be similar?

The English language is nuanced, three-dimensional, and complex. It conveys comprehension, emotion, and a sense of rhythm when well expressed,  and it worries me that words will disappear due to a fad.

Inverted snobbery perhaps?

Take a simple example. Most articles you read on simplifying your writing will tell you to eschew 'utilise' for 'use'. Yet the two words have different meanings. A nuanced difference, admittedly, but different nonetheless. Use means "to put something to a particular use", while utilise means "to use something in an effective way". The addition of effectiveness is the differentiator. However, I've read articles where the writer has scorned those daring to add depth and nuance with utilise, accusing them of trying to appear high-brow or showing off.

Now I'm not being deliberately obtuse for dramatic (or grammatic) effect. I understand that blogging is a numbers game, where, generally, the more readers you get, the greater your revenue. I also understand that where you can improve readability and comprehension through simplification, you should. Yet the message seldom considers context and reader education. I firmly believe there is a need for writing in this world that deals with complex topics.

Horses for courses

I come from an engineering background and have worked for many decades at a senior level within the corporate world. When I write a complex business plan or proposal, a technical description for engineers, a capability statement, or a whitepaper, I do so in the knowledge of the intended reader. I understand their intellect, jargon, and their expected outcomes. Dumbing down the text to grade eight to meet the strident demands of offended observers serves no purpose other than to create anodyne text that fails to meet the client's intent.

So we built an echo chamber...